Manufacture of boots and shoes.



M. BROOK.

- MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES.

APPLIUATION FILED OUT. 6-, 1910. RENEWED 0OT.17, 1913. 1,082,621.Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MATTHIAS BROOK, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOEMACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 30,1913.

Application filed October 5, 1910, Serial No. 585,432. Renewed October17, 1913. Serial No. 795,791.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MATTI-IIAS BRooK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain Improvements in the Manufacture of Boots andShoes, of which the following description, in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters onthe drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to the manufacture of shoes and particularly to anovel method of making shoes and it has for its object to improve thefitting of the shoe at the sides of the shoe, more especially at thefront portions of the heel and the rear of the shank. A usual practiceis to last this portion of the shoe by means of shear-like wipershaving,

shaped edges to embrace the heel portion of the shoe and be closed overthe heel bottom to rub the upper inwardly upon the bottom face of theshoe to position to be secured to the innersole. It is found that withthe lasts now in use, in which the last bottom is comparatively narrowat the breast of the heel and at the shank, insufficient upper tightening force is applied by the wipers at the portions of the shoe actedupon by their ends. I11 accordance with this invention additional uppertightening force is obtained without the employment of any supplementarymechanism. I make use of a known construction of heel stiffener whichhas an upstanding lip on each wing provided to stand against the outerface of the innersole lip. I shape this lipped stiffener so that itslips stand in the assembled shoe more or less away from the innersolelips and I employ the stiffener lips as an abutment or backing againstwhich the upper is gripped by an edge face of the wipers, or, it may be,of any other lasting plate than the wiper which acts on the rear portionof the heel. By so gripping the upper between the two opposed faces eachof which can move in the direction of the force applied, the upper ispulled as distinguished from being wiped or rubbed inwardly from thelast edge to tighten it. I may employ lasting plates the upper qrippingedges of which are serrated or provided with pointed projections thebetter to engage the upper with a non-slipping grip against thestiffener lip while the latter serves as an abutment or cooperatinggripping member. In accordance with a further step in this novel methodI bend the upper over the top edge of the stiffener lip and grip it uponsaid edge as well as grippmg it against the outer side of this lip. Thestiffener is made of hard slightly resilient material and is usuallycompressed in its manufacture. The upstanding edge is usually skived torender it thin before the stiffener is molded so that said edge presentsa narrow, sharp face by which the upper bent over it is held to asubstantial extent. By bending the upper over this edge, then downwardlyagainst the side face of the lip and then outwardly over the flange ofthe stiffener the upper is held thereto with a friction that insures astrong tightening pull as the stiffener and upper are forced inwardly bythe lasting plate. The lasting plate may be provided for the abovestated purpose, with an inwardly directed ledge or overhanging finspaced above its lower face a distance about equal to the height of thestiffener lip and adapted to bend the upper over and grip it down uponthe top edge of said lip as the serrated face approaches and grips theupper against the outer face of said lip.

The invention will now be explained in connection with the accompanyingdrawings which illustrate the described method and also an apparatus,including a novel construction of wipers or lasting plates, which may beemployed in practising this invention, although it will be understoodthat the novel method is not dependent upon any particular apparatuswith which to practise it.

In the claims at the end of the description the novel method will beparticularly pointed out as also the new features of the wipers.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the rear portion of a shoe in the process oflasting; Fig. 2 is a perspective sectional view; Fig. 3 is a similarview in which an upper holding clamp is being used; Fig. 4 is aperspective view from below of the novel wiper of Figs. 1 and 2.

The innersole 2, the upper f and the heel stiffener are assembled uponthe last in the usual manner. The stiffener has the flange 6 which atthe forward portion of each wing is narrowed by turning up a lip 8. Theflange is skived to present a sharp edge on the upstanding lip 8 and thestiffener which is formed of hard sole leather, or some material havingsimilar characteristics, is molded to the illustrated shape which issubstantially permanent although the stiffener is more or less resilientand is usually moistened before the lasting operation so that it willtake the shape to which it is compressed in that operation and will setin that shape as the shoe dries. The stiffener will be shaped inaccordance with this invention so that the lips 8 will stand laterallyaway from the lips 10 of the innersole in the assembled shoe as in Fig.3. The heel em bracing wipers 1 1, which are advanced and closed toforce the upper and the stiffener flange inwardly upon the innersole toposition to be fastened, have their inner edges outwardly offset at 15,near the location of the breast line of the heel, and the continuationthereof at 16 extends along the side of the shoe toward the end of thestiffener wing. The edge 16 may be serrated or provided with pointedprojections 18 and this edge and its projections may be overhung by aledge or in 20 the lower face of which is spaced above the lower face ofthe wiper a distance substantially equal to or slightly less than theheight of the lip S on the stiffener. In use the ledge 20 bends theupper over and clamps it down upon the sharp top edge of the lip S, Fig.2, and the side of said lip forms an abutment or backing for the upperwhile the advancing edge 16, with its serrations 18, grips the upperagainst the outer face of said lip. As the wiper continues its closingmovement it springs the wings of the stiffener inwardly and said lipsand the edges 16 cooperate to pull the upper inwardly in addition to andas distinguished from the mere Wl71I1 or rubbin action ofl b a the wiperover the stock. In the finished work the heel portion of the shoe hugsthe heel of the wearers foot better and has less tendency to slip up anddown, especially in Oxfords and pumps, because of this formation of theheel stiffener. The work per formed by the parts 16, 1S and 20 mightobviously be performed by hand or by plates separate from the wipers.

It will be noted that the end portions of the wipers have a substantialcomponent of forward movement toward the toe of the last as they closeover the shoe bottom and that, inasmuch as the serrated faces 16 gripthe upper in a manner to restrain slipping, the upper at the sides ofthe heel and shank will be pulled forwardly as well as inwardly. It isimport-ant to emphasize the essential distinction between the pullingaction effected by gripping the upper against the lip 8 and forcing theupper and the lip inwardly together and the well known wiping actioneffected when the wiper rubs frictionally over the upper. It is becausethe latter stiffener the wiper may have the clamp 25,

Fig. 8. This clamp is pivoted to the wiper and acted upon by a bowspring 26 to force it down upon the upper with a sufficient grippingforce. The connection between the spring and the clamp is above thepivot of the clamp when the clamp is down and below the pivot when theclamp is up so that the spring holds the clamp in its upraised positionas well as in its downturned position. The clamp has a handle 28 bywhich to operate it and this handle is arranged to afford means by whichthe operator may apply additional force with his hand to grip the uppermore securely on one side of the shoe or the other in a special caserequiring particular attention.

Having explained the nature of this invention and described how thenovel method may be practised, I claim and desire to secure protectionfor all the patent-able novelty ierein disclosed and the followingclaiming clauses are to be construed broadly to give effect to thisintention:

1. That improvement in methods of making welt shoes which consists inassembling upon a last and an innersole upper materials which include aheel stiffener formed with wings each of which is provided with aninturned flange and with an upstanding lip located at the inner edge ofthe flange, gripping the upper against said upstanding lip of the heelstiffener at each side of the heel, and forcing the gripped upper andthe stiffener wings inwardly together to tighten the upper over thelast.

2. That improvement in methods of making welt shoes which consists inassembling upon a last and an innersole upper materials which include aheel stiffener formed with wings each of which is provided with aninturned flange and with an upstanding lip located at the inner edge ofthe flange, wiping the upper over the bottom face of the heel end of thelast, and gripping the upper between the wiping means and saidupstanding lip of the heel stiffener at each side of the heel during theoverworking operation to increase the tightening pull upon the uppernear the end portions of the stiffener.

3. That improvement in methods of making welt shoes which consists inassembling upon a last and innersole upper materials which include aresilient heel stiffener provided with wings and an upstanding lip orrib at the end of each wing and so formed that said lips normally standoutwardly away from the lips of the innersole, gripping the upperagainst said stiffener lips and forcing the stiffener lips inwardly withthe upper held thereagainst to pull the upper while carrying it and saidlips inwardly to position to be secured to the innersole lips.

4. That improvement in methods of making welt shoes which consists informing a heel stiffener with wings having upstanding lips located tostand against the outer faces of the innersole lips, assembling theshoe, wiping the flange of the stiffener and the upper inwardly over theheel seat and gripping the upper between said upstanding lips and theedge of the wiping means to exert pulling force upon the upper at thefront of the heel in addition to the wiping operation.

5. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in forminga heel stiffener. with wings that spread at their upper edges to agreater width than they are to have in the lasted shoe and with anupstanding lip on each wing, assembling upon a last the heel stifienerso formed, together with an inner sole and an upper, gripping the upperagainst said lips, and forcing the upper and the wings inwardly togetherto exert a positive pull upon the upper, as distinguished from a merewiping effect, to tighten the upper over the last.

(3. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists informing a heel stiffener with wings that spread to a greater width thanthey are to have in the lasted shoe and with an upstanding lip on eachwing, fixedly engaging the upper and forcing it against said lips, andthen crowding said lips and the upper inwardly by said engaging means toexert a positive pull, as distinguished from a mere wiping effect, totighten the upper at the sides of the shoe.

7. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in forminga heel stiffener with resilient wings that spread to a greater widththan they are to have in the lasted shoe and with an upstanding lip oneach wing, assembling upon a last the heel stiflener so formed, togetherwith an inner sole and an upper, gripping the upper against the topedges and the outer faces of said lips as abutments, and springing thestilfener wings into lasted position while the upper is so gripped topull the upper over the last, as distinguished from merely wiping theupper into lasted position.

8. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists inassembling upon a last an inner sole, an upper, and a heel stifienerhaving wings formed with upstanding portions, wiping the upper over theedges of the heel stiffener, fixedly engaging the upper with theupstanding portions of the heel stiifener wings, and forcing said upperand wings inwardly by a direct pull in addition to the wiping efi'ect,to tighten the upper at the sides of the shoe.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

MATTHIAS BROCK.

WVit-nesses:

ARTHUR L. RUSSELL, HERBERT W. KENWAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

